The Fall of the Old King (Part I)

Leo's words made Thomas laugh heartily, as he understood the meaning behind Leo's statement.

Standing up, he patted Leo on the shoulder and said:

"Deal struck. There may be some trouble ahead, but I'll allow you limited use of my name.

However, when some people come seeking confirmation from me, I won't say anything.

I trust that with your intelligence, you understand that what you've offered is worth only this much."

Leo certainly understood, and he was very satisfied with the outcome.

Simply having Thomas's name was enough to ensure that Leo's business in Virginia would remain confined to commercial competition.

Leo knew that when they sought him out, he wouldn't admit anything, but it wasn't that Thomas wouldn't acknowledge it—it was just that those who could meet Thomas had a certain weight in themselves.

Dealing with Patrick wasn't worth Thomas alienating these people.

Seeing that Leo understood, a glimmer of approval flashed in Thomas's eyes.

He pointed to the debris on the floor and said:

"Everything is contingent on you handling matters well.

Alright, Mr. Valentino, now my time is no longer yours."

"Sir, it seems you admire him. Do you need to leave your contact for him?"

The servant asked Thomas.

"No need. If he's good enough, he'll show up again in front of me."

Leo returned to Lynchburg late that night.

As soon as he entered the house, he heard Michael talking excitedly.

"Jones Real Estate is done for.

The town's people demanding compensation have blocked their company's operations completely.

After Andy and David went mad...

Do you know who's in charge of Jones now?

It's that black butler Andy bought.

Word is he's planning to sell off the Jones family assets to pay the townsfolk's compensation.

Jones is finished for good!"

"That's indeed good news."

Leo took the water that Emily handed him and asked:

"Anything else?"

Michael continued:

"Apparently, Virginia's First Bank acquired the branch of the community bank set up in Lynchburg.

What's odd is that the position of the bank president wasn't given to Anderson, the president of the much larger Virginia Bank.

The new president is Dick, the one who visited us a few days ago.

And that freeloading guy announced that he's running for the Lynchburg 7-Council seat.

He says he wants to fill the gap left by Anderson's departure and the influence of the bank in Lynchburg!"

"Lynchburg's got some excitement this year.

Get some rest, Michael.

Tomorrow will bring even more drama."

Morning sunlight streamed into Leo's bedroom.

Leo kissed Emily, who had been playing the knight all night.

The price for the girl overestimating herself was that she couldn't get out of bed this morning.

Today, Leo had an extra guest for breakfast—Patrick.

Patrick's anxious expression combined with the bruises on his face made him look almost comical.

"Leo, stop what you're doing. I've agreed to all the terms you mentioned.

All you need to do is coordinate with Michael and Father Lester to approve the establishment of the Food Regulation Committee.

It's all yours."

Patrick went straight to the point.

At the same time, he placed on the table the compensations he had promised Leo when dividing Lock's assets.

There were contracts for two bridges, construction approval for the Lynchburg Hotel land, and so on.

Patrick's humbling behavior was entirely due to the recent events that had him overwhelmed.

The protests by workers, townspeople, and small farmers, along with the siege of City Hall, had paralyzed the town government for days.

He had planned to label these rebellious townsfolk as a worker riot, hoping to use the National Guard to suppress them, just like he had done in the past.

But the lieutenant governor had refused, citing Patrick's repeated troublemaking.

Although enraged, Patrick was experienced enough to know that delay tactics could still solve the problem.

The drop in public support didn't worry him.

Once he harvested the small farmers and dealt with Leo, the votes could be bought back.

Patrick had a good plan, but he underestimated the speed at which events were unfolding.

In just 7 days, he had used Andy to counter Leo.

But it had backfired!

The burning construction site had further dropped his approval ratings.

So, Patrick played his trump card, attempting to get a loan from Virginia's Lynchburg branch president, Anderson.

Money could solve everything.

But now, Anderson had suddenly left office, and the man who was close to Leo, Dick, had unexpectedly become the new president of Lynchburg's largest bank.

Patrick's plan had fallen apart again.

This unexpected change caught Patrick off guard.

And now, with Desmond and Dick running for the Lynchburg 7-Council seats,

plus Michael, Leo already had three votes in the town council.

This severely threatened Patrick's control over Lynchburg.

In normal circumstances, Patrick would've gone to war without hesitation.

But now, the true disaster for his family was the trouble Eric had caused.

Kent and these outsiders couldn't have come to Lynchburg without Patrick's knowledge.

So, he urgently needed a truce with Leo to handle the problems at hand.

"Honorable Mayor, what are you saying? I don't understand.

Did you have breakfast yet? My mother's macaroni is really delicious."

Patrick had no mood for macaroni.

The 7-Council meeting would be in two hours, and Patrick desperately needed the Food Regulation Committee to be established.

He needed to use the town's future food supply to gain some political resources.

This would earn him the help of top Washington officials.

During the hard times for the Odo family, merely offering up the little girl would not be enough to satisfy these opportunistic vultures.

Patrick needed to cover up the sins at the Lake Bay Manor quickly.

Being an old fox, Patrick could clearly see that Leo was doing this on purpose.

"You've gone too far, Leo. I've already made huge concessions.

People need to learn to be satisfied."

Leo wasn't here to gloat over his victory.

He purely wanted to test whether Patrick still had any hidden moves.

It seemed that the old man had really run out of options.

Since that was the case, Leo, having seen through his hand, signaled for him to leave.

As the town mayor, Patrick had never been humiliated like this in Lynchburg.

Fuming with anger, he returned to his office and ordered Xiro to call the lieutenant governor immediately.

He called three times, but each time, the operator said the call was refused.

"What now, sir?"

Xiro asked.

"Never mind. Call the Senator.

I'm one of his earliest followers. He'll definitely answer my call.

Once the Senator steps in, all these problems in the town will be solved."

Patrick's confidence didn't change the outcome of the call.

"Still declined, sir,"

Xiro reported.

"I can hear it!"

An enraged Patrick smashed the phone against the wall.

"Get out of here, you useless idiot!"

After Xiro left, Patrick sat in his chair, panting heavily, his face alternating between purple and blue.

He had never been in such a desperate situation in his life.

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door.

"Sir, we've received word from the conference room.

Mr. Michael and Father Lester have not arrived.

They have submitted a letter of rejection.

They do not support the establishment of the Lynchburg Food Regulation Committee."